Spring Position Battles: Left Tackle
Zack Martin, Ronnie Stanley, and Mike McGlinchey. Those are the last three guys to play left tackle for the Irish. I’m not sure if another program in the country has had three players of that caliber at left tackle back to back to back. It’s a pretty impressive run at the position.
Now the search is on to find out who the next guy is. It seemed natural to move Stanley and then McGlinchey there when the position opened up. There may not be as natural of a move this time around.
Jeff Quinn already has a difficult job trying to replace Harry Hiestand as the offensive line coach. Priority number one for him heading into spring ball is finding the next great left tackle for Notre Dame.
The Candidates
Redshirt Sophomore Liam Eichenberg
The backup at the position last fall, Eichenberg only saw minutes in garbage time. It’s tough to say how ready he is to take over because we haven’t seen enough to know. For the most part, they were running the ball and running out the clock in those situations.
He showed a physical edge, but we need to know he can protect at an elite level. He’ll be tested heavily by ends like Daelin Hayes and Julian Okwara in spring. How he performs against them is going to go a long way into determining if he can lock down left tackle or not.
Eichenberg was recruited for this specific purpose. He was supposed to be a future left tackle when he was a blue-chip recruit and now he gets a chance to show that he can take the mantle from McGlinchey.
Sophomore Robert Hainsey
A former left tackle for IMG Academy, most assumed Hainsey was a natural fit at guard at the next level. He was taking reps at left tackle last spring as an early enrollee, though, and did well enough that he was able to eventually split reps with Tommy Kraemer at right tackle all season.
Hainsey had some ups and downs in pass protection at that spot, but all in all had an outstanding freshman season. If they feel good about Kraemer at tackle, then it would make perfect sense to at least look at Hainsey on the left side this spring.
Redshirt Freshman Josh Lugg
I don’t think Lugg is going to be the starter over Eichenberg or Hainsey, but he may get in the mix there as the number two guy. That could mean he is a play away from being the left tackle this fall.
That’s if he even stays at tackle.
I’m sure Quinn will want to build continuity at each spot and find the best five he wants to put out there this season. At the same time, I think it would be a good idea to have a true competition for the position. Eichenberg or Hainsey shouldn’t be handed the job like Stanley and McGlinchey were.
The spot needs to be earned this spring, in my opinion. Whoever it is will have big shoes to fill considering the players who came before him, but the candidates are talented enough to continue the run the Irish have had at left tackle.